


The Dog star and the Firebird

by AlphaLima1980



Category: Native American/First Nations Mythology
Genre: Coming of Age, Creation Myth, F/M, Metamorphosis, Mexico, Native American Character(s), Native American/First Nations Legends & Lore, North America, Origin Story, Raramuri, Supernatural Elements, Waterfall, chihuahua
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28883022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaLima1980/pseuds/AlphaLima1980
Summary: Preface.The Basaseachi Waterfall is 246 meters (807 ft) tall, second in Mexico only to the Cascada de Piedra Volada (Flying Stone Falls). One of the natural beauties of the state of Chihuahua at Cañón Basaseachic in the Copper Canyon region of northwest Mexico. The legend about its origin tells the story of Basaseachi, the daughter of a great Rarámuri chief who threw herself from the cliff due to the death of her four suitors, while she fell, a powerful sorcerer turned her into a waterfall.This story is a short prologue or prequel to what the legend is, and includes elements from the 2015 bookAnirúame: Historias de los Tarahumaras de los tiempos antiguos, by Enríque Alberto Servín Herrera (Jan 28, 1958 - Oct 9, 2019) and that in turn were transmitted orally through generation to generation by the Rarámuri.I find it very strange that in said compilation of stories and legends, the famous waterfall is not mentioned even once, and the few accounts of the story are very vague. There is no extended version, so to speak. Which leads me to wonder if it is actually a copy or adaptation of another ancient tale.Among the possible candidates there is a story that is almost a carbon copy: The legend of Multnomah Falls, in Oregon, USA. It contains all the elements present in the history of Basaseachi: the princess who sacrifices, the Chieftain, the suitors who die, the sorcerer, etc.While the Legend of Multnomah Falls was novelized in 1905 inBridge of the gods: a romance of Indian Oregon, by Frederick Homer Balch, there is no other extensive account of the history of Basaseachi, in part to which Rarámuri tradition and folklore is passed down orally and at the same time its not widely known, except for a few literary works and the wonderful video gameMulakafrom Lienzo studios. For these reasons, I wrote this short story about princess Basaseachi -named Basachí here-placed before the main events unfold.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	The Dog star and the Firebird

**Author's Note:**

> **Preface.**
> 
> The Basaseachi Waterfall is 246 meters (807 ft) tall, second in Mexico only to the Cascada de Piedra Volada (Flying Stone Falls). One of the natural beauties of the state of Chihuahua at Cañón Basaseachic in the Copper Canyon region of northwest Mexico. The legend about its origin tells the story of Basaseachi, the daughter of a great Rarámuri chief who threw herself from the cliff due to the death of her four suitors, while she fell, a powerful sorcerer turned her into a waterfall.
> 
> This story is a short prologue or prequel to what the legend is, and includes elements from the 2015 book _Anirúame: Historias de los Tarahumaras de los tiempos antiguos_ , by Enríque Alberto Servín Herrera (Jan 28, 1958 - Oct 9, 2019) and that in turn were transmitted orally through generation to generation by the Rarámuri.
> 
> I find it very strange that in said compilation of stories and legends, the famous waterfall is not mentioned even once, and the few accounts of the story are very vague. There is no extended version, so to speak. Which leads me to wonder if it is actually a copy or adaptation of another ancient tale.
> 
> Among the possible candidates there is a story that is almost a carbon copy: The legend of Multnomah Falls, in Oregon, USA. It contains all the elements present in the history of Basaseachi: the princess who sacrifices, the Chieftain, the suitors who die, the sorcerer, etc.
> 
> While the Legend of Multnomah Falls was novelized in 1905 in _Bridge of the gods: a romance of Indian Oregon_ , by Frederick Homer Balch, there is no other extensive account of the history of Basaseachi, in part to which Rarámuri tradition and folklore is passed down orally and at the same time its not widely known, except for a few literary works and the wonderful video game _Mulaka_ from Lienzo studios. For these reasons, I wrote this short story about princess Basaseachi -named Basachí here-placed before the main events unfold.

“ _Does progress mean that we dissolve our ancient myths? If we forget our legends, I fear that we shall close an important door to the imagination._ ”

― James Christensen

**THE DOG STAR AND THE FIREBIRD.**

  
The young girl leaned on the shore of the lake, taking care that her _sipuchi_ , or dress, did not get wet on the muddy shore. She took some cold water in the basin of her hands and drank, with the remaining liquid she wiped her face. She untied her _kowera_ , a long suede strip, and her long jet black hair slid down her chest.

The sun was already far below the horizon and the stars in the night sky reflected in the still waters like a dark blue mirror. A bullfrog croaked on a nearby rock but the girl continued washing her hair without flinching.

A man might be afraid of such animals. Superstition said if a man fell asleep next to one they would end up waking up as a woman, but she had nothing to fear, on the contrary.

She smirked. It would be funny to place the animal next to her brother’s, who was still sleeping and give him a good scare. She tried to grab the animal but it leaped away and plunged into the water. _Another day it will be_ , she sighed and stared at the sky.

She looked at the cluster of seven bright stars and the large blue and white point of light a little further down the horizon. Her grandmother had told her the story of how they had gotten there when she was just a little girl, it was in fact one of her favorites among the vast collection of tales which her people, the Rarámuri, passed down orally from generation to generation for hundreds or perhaps thousands of years.

\- " _Usú_ , tell me the story of those stars again," the little girl begged, pointing a finger at the stars.

The old woman lowered her hand, visibly alarmed.

\- "It is not correct to aim at people." she scolded her.

She looked down ashamed. For the _Rarámuri_ , as they called themselves, the stars represented people who stayed up in heaven from the beginning of time, they had souls and words. It was impolite to point the finger at them. The old woman comforted her and took her by the arm to follow her to the shore of the lake. The water did not move and reflected the sky like a mirror.

-”There, this is how you do, Basachí,” The old woman continued, pointing to the sky through the reflection of the lake. Basachí learned that way she could point to a particular star without committing an offense.

Basachí was not her real name, much less one appropriate for a girl but everyone called her that: _Coyote_ , due to her uncommon copper hair, her agile mind and her mischievous nature. Her grandmother saw in her the beauty of her mother and the indomitable spirit of her father, the _silíame_ Candameña.

\- "But Basachí, I have told you many times." The grandmother tried to get away.

\- "I know," said the girl, "but I like it."

\- "Very good," agreed the woman, "pay close attention."

Basachí sat on a rock near the shore, legs crossed and leaned her face in her hands, listening carefully.

\- "A long time ago," her grandmother began, "some time after the first destruction of the world, a very evil man lived on these mountains, he had a wife and seven children."

Basachí could almost see the stars come to life and dance until she saw seven cheerful _tohuí_ around the fire of a hearth.

One day, the father sent them to fetch water, threatening to beat them if they did not return before dark. The children left for the stream but could not find water, not even in the spring, and the river crossing the ravine only obtained a muddy water that could not be drunk. It was almost night and they knew that their father would soon come looking for them to punish them for not complying.

A bird that was perched on a large fir tree warned them that their father, seeing they didn’t return, had beaten her mother to death and that he was going after them. The _tohuí_ then climbed the tree to hide from the man, who had followed their footsteps and called out to them. _Onorúame_ , the great spirit, took pity on them and told Fir to help them.

\- "The fir grew and grew until its branches reached the sky and deposited the children in the sky, far from the reach of man, where they still remain to this day." the grandmother concluded the story, pointing to the seven bright stars on the surface of the water.

\- ” _Usú_ , you forget an important part,” Basachí reproached him.

\- "Right, _nijé usúra_ , you don't miss anything." admitted the old woman with love, rubbing the back of her head, "Along the way, a dog had followed the children so the tree put him there too," the old woman pointed to the dog star, " _okochi seporí_ since then follows the seven _tohuí_ across the sky."

Basachí gazed at the lake with wide eyes. _Very well, go to sleep_ , the grandmother had said. It was already past midnight and they had to get up early, but she couldn't fall asleep without _Usú_ telling her a story.

They walked to the entrance of the cave and Basachí made himself comfortable on her _petate_. She slept peacefully, dreaming of stars and fantastic creatures.

\- o -

Basachí woke up gently, yawning in the cool morning air. She set out to help her grandmother and the other women grind the corn to make _pinole_ , something that all the _Rarámuri_ girls participated in. The sun had not yet risen, but the purple sky was already streaked with orange stripes where it touched the mountains.

She went to the shore where she and her grandmother had been the night before to wash herself. when she noticed a whitish light that crossed the surface of the water and instinctively looked upwards.

A meteorite streaked across the sky from where the sun set into the valleys far beyond the mountains.

\- " _Olemá_!" she exclaimed with a strangled cry, it was at that moment that she felt something wet run between her legs, she lowered her hand to her skirt and saw it, it was blood.

 _Olemá_ was a fire bird that liked to feed on blood, and on the souls of the _Raramurí_. It could be seen soaring through the sky like a fireball in places where there is water. If someone bled during the night, it was because _Olemá_ had stolen one of their souls. It was feared because if a man lost one of his three souls they fell ill and died, and if a woman lost one of her four souls, she could no longer have children or perhaps she would die during childbirth.

\- ” _Usú_ ! _Usú_! " the hazel-eyed girl yelled, "Come quickly!"

The old woman hurried down the gentle slope of the hill to the edge of the lake. She had been grinding corn in a mortar carved out of the volcanic rock when she heard the voice of her granddaughter who was screaming frantically.

\- "I'm coming, Basachí! She yelled the old woman back, puffing in the crisp early morning air. A cloud of mist formed on her face with each of her breaths. "What happened, Basachí?"

\- "What is it Basachí?" Grandma asked once more, taking a deep breath. In her youth, the old woman had performed many _romera_ and won several victories, but those days were behind her.

-"Look! It was _Olamé_! " Basachí said, showing her her dress, a red stain was spreading from her crotch area and blood was running down her thighs. "I just saw him fly over the lake,"

\- "Great _Onorúame_!" The old woman exclaimed, "At last it has happened."

Basachí was scared, he thought that the surprised face of her grandmother was the confirmation of her own thoughts.

\- "Don't be afraid, little one." _Usú_ comforted her, taking her into her arms. "They're just stories," she said, adding, "What just happened is very normal."

Basachí wondered if it was a common thing for people to bleed just when a firebird passed over her head.

\- "It means that you are no longer a girl and you are finally a woman."

\- o -

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Basachí - Coyote.  
> Kowera - Traditional strip of cloth that the Rarámuri use on their foreheads, akin to a bandanna.  
> nijé usura - Literally: “my granddaughter”  
> Okochi - Dog.  
> Olamé - A mythological firebird, also could be a meteor or a comet.  
> Onorúame - Great father, celestial father, great spirit, god.  
> Petate - a mat made from vegetal fibers used as bed.  
> Pinole - roasted ground maize, used to make different foods, such as cereals, baked goods, tortillas, and beverages.  
> Rarámuri - Light feet. A native tribe from northern Mexico.  
> Romera - a race performed by women, chasing a wooden ring called ariweta.  
> Sipuchi - Traditional long dress used by the Rarámuri women.  
> Soporí - Star.  
> Silíame - Governor, but much like a chieftain.  
> Tohuí - Child, Children.  
> Usú - Grandmother, more specifically maternal mother.


End file.
